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1951 Map of Ruston

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Ruston
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1951
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1951

About this map

Ruston serves as the focal point of this North Louisiana landscape, where the Illinois Central RR and the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific RR intersect. This rail junction defined the region's mid-century growth, supporting nearby Grambling and the expanding campus of Grambling College. The terrain is characterized by the complex drainage of Bayou D'Arbonne and Choudrant Creek, which carved the surrounding hills into a network of small farming and timber communities like Dubach and Choudrant.

Rural life is meticulously documented through a high density of country schools and family cemeteries, including Hico Sch, Ball Sch, and Hopewell Cem. The map reveals the infrastructure of early aviation and communication, from the Municipal Airport with its Airway Beacon to Radio Sta KRUS. These details, alongside the numerous oil wells scattered across the northern sections, illustrate the early 1950s transition from a strictly agrarian society to one integrated with industrial and educational advancements.